Text 10
Text 10, 2012, a video-documentation, 2013, view from the exhibition Things and People, Arsenal Gallery, Bialystok, 2013, photo: author's archive
Prologue
When I started doing this
blog, people around me asked me what it was about, what UNBOXING was, and that
sort of thing. It no longer happens to me. By now most of my friends and
acquaintances are in the know. Also, I’m more concerned with other things which
I have discovered for myself during the last six months and which have
overshadowed the initial impulse for creating this blog. But why am I writing
all this? Well, because right at the very outset the girlfriend of my
girlfriend told me the story of how her Russian class mates from the
Czech-American University in Prague made videos of emptying out their handbags
and then used photographs to check on the web if they had bought fakes or
genuine articles. I couldn’t resist and decided to investigate this, for me
somewhat unfamiliar, territory a little.
A widely publicized
incident at London's Heathrow Airport in 2006 where actress Lindsay Lohan's
orange Birkin bag was reportedly stolen drew further attention to the bag. The
actress claimed that the lost bag was full of valuables worth upwards of
$1,000,000. It was returned shortly thereafter.[1]
![]()
She had just placed her
straw bag in the overhead compartment of her seat, but the contents fell to the
deck, leaving her to scramble to replace the contents. Birkin explained to
Dumas that it had been difficult to find a leather weekend bag she liked. In
1984, he created a black supple leather bag for her, based on an 1892 design.
She used the bag for herself then later changed her mind… Nevertheless, the bag
has since become an icon.[2]
As a blue jean Birkin is
extremely hard to find on the shelf, I knew my only shot would be to order one.
I also knew that even if I did find one, they're usually made with palladium
hardware. Did a blue jean Birkin with gold hardware exist? I learned the answer
when I saw a picture online of Victoria Beckham with one. It's a pretty famous
pic, she's walking on a street in Spain, wearing a matching blue sweater that
just barely skims the tops of her thighs, and nothing else. As soon as the next
podium came around, I knew what I wanted.[3]
![]()
… the stitches on all
Birkin handbags are called "saddle stitches." This is when two
stitches cross over each other to create an "X" pattern.[4]
![]()
Press accounts of the
bag's genesis differ in details. Birkin told noted fashion writer Dana Thomas
that while seated next to Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas in 1984 on a Paris to
London flight, she opened her Hermès-made datebook and a flurry of loose notes
fell to the floor. Dumas took her datebook and returned it a few weeks later
with a pocket sewn into the back (which has since become standard). Birkin went
on to discuss with Dumas her difficulty in finding a leather weekend bag and at
his prompting, described her ideal. Shortly thereafter, the bag she described arrived
at her flat with a note from Dumas.[5]
![]()
As we all know, the white
handbag is so in this season. It’s perfect actually. A neutral hue that isn’t
difficult to match with your articles of clothing. Just like every girl should
own that simple black handbag, I feel the same way towards its compliment, the
white handbag. Let me ask you girls this question. What is hotter than a white
handbag this season? Why an all white Hermes Birkin of course! If you’re a fan
of the French brand Hermes, then you definitely agree with my statement.
Unfortunately, right now with my limited student budget, I can only daydream of
owning my very own piece of French luxury, unlike the infamous Mrs. Victoria
Beckham who is probably one of Hermes top customer of all times. What a diva
Mrs. Beckham is, right? Whether she’s stocking up on Rodeo Drive or taking her
boys to the park, I swear she always looks fabulous. If you have the extra
moolah lying around, I believe putting it towards a Hermes handbag is not a bad
idea at all. Their exquisite pieces live up to their name and in the long run;
you’ll be carrying one true (and amazing) investment.[6]
One of our clients who
comes to the office has a Birkin bag. She carries it open at the top because
the fastening mechanism would “probably drive you crazy” if you were going to
close it every time... because she’s a client I wouldn’t dare scrutinise her
too closely, but already the fact that she carries it around open the whole
time says it all... and I see this quite often, when someone actually has a
genuine Birkin bag, they carry it open as if on purpose... well that’s not
something I’d expect from a handbag for 200 and something... that’s also why
I’ve never really been interested in having one...[7]
![]()
I remember when my sister
told the story of the Birkin Bag and how it all started. on 1984 Hermès named and designed a
handbag—the Birkin bag—for Jane Birkin because
on an Air flight from Paris to London, Jane Birkin pulled her Hermes datebook
out of her bag and all her papers fell down. She complained to the person
sitting next to her that the book should have pockets. That person was the
chairman of Hermes, Jean-Louis Dumas, and after hearing her complaint he
created the Birkin bag.[8]
![]()
I love that I have at
least one bag made just for me, to my specifications, and others that were
bought just because. Will I ever buy another Birkin? Maybe. They're so special,
so to own even one is a blessing. I don't know if I could pass up a black one,
and since it's extremely hard to find, I know if I ever do see one, I'll have
to grab the opportunity. Maybe an exotic, but that'll have to wait until some
other stuff gets taken care of...so a possible 40th birthday present? We'll
have to wait and see.[9]
![]()
The stamp on the
authentic bag is clean and uniform, but the stamp on the fake bag looks spotty
and irregular.[10]
